


Behind Blue Eyes

by Gimmemocha



Series: Ivrianna & the Cobalt Company [2]
Category: World of Warcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29721489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gimmemocha/pseuds/Gimmemocha
Summary: Karson Barlowe had sent "the lads" to round up Daine Atley, solider and newest would-be suitor of his daughter, Ivrianna. Unfortunately, the little chit caught wind of it and brought the soldier to him before they could. Fortunately, he'd had time to hustle his wife out of the house before they arrived. Unfortunately, she just got home.
Series: Ivrianna & the Cobalt Company [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184330





	Behind Blue Eyes

Karson Barlowe sat at the table in his family home and listened with growing dread to the sound of someone thumping up the stairs from the shop below. He was a veteran of more battles than he could count, had brought his large family safely -- well mostly -- across a continent to get them to Stormwind, had rejoined the guard and worked his way back up the ranks, now a Sergeant. Nothing should have flustered him. No one looking at him would have noted any particular emotion on his seamed and scarred face; his hands were steady as he sliced another oval off the apple in his hand.

The thumping got louder.

It wasn't just any thumping, to be fair. This was a particular thumping, the thumping of wood on wood. He should really get her something more stable, but she was so damned stubborn...

Well, nothing for it but to face the enemy head on. He waited while his wife finished her careful climb up the stairs, waited while she crossed the room, waited while she sat in the chair to his left.

Waited.

Waited.

_Waited._

Finally, he snorted. "Leave off yer naggin', woman. Aye, 'e was 'ere."

Josette leaned forward and took the most recent slice of apple off his dagger. "Next time you want to keep a secret from me," she said, "maybe don't send the paladin son to keep me distracted. From Tirisfal, was he?"

He glanced over, one silver eyebrow arched.

"Accent," she said, a trace of a smile making the lines around her mouth and eyes deeper. "Yours gets thick whenever you hear it."

Her own voice was Stormwind-smooth. She made the effort more than he did, their attempt to integrate better into their new home city.

New, he mocked himself. And hadn't they been living here for nigh on ten years? He recognized his mood was poisonous sour, but it was all the lad's fault. Aye, and Ivrianna's too for bringing him here.

"That bad, was he?" his wife asked.

He grunted but didn't answer at first, not trusting his reply. He ate another slice off his apple, offered her one. "Not bad," he said. "Seemed a right 'un."

She reached across the table and took his wrist in one hand, stilling his knife. After all these years, the strength in that grip no longer surprised him. She had wrists almost as thick as his, and arms corded tight with long, hard muscle. "For a 'right 'un', you're fairly annoyed."

He set down the apple so he could put his hand over hers. "Lordaeron," he said.

She gave his wrist a squeeze. It was all he needed to say, all she needed to do.

"So. Atley."

"Aye."

"Didn't manage to scare him off?"

"Wasn't the sort to scare easy."

She knew him, knew him too well not to read what was unsaid. "You told him about Kenet," she said softly.

"I did," he said.

Her thumb caressed his skin. "Will he tell her?"

"Gave his word he wouldn't."

"Is that worth anything?"

Her eyes were blue, like his, but darker. She had seen as much as he had, suffered as much. More, with the loss of half her leg. He hated that he could hear the pain in her voice, hated that he couldn't protect her from it. Light forbid he should say that to her, though. Josette wasn't a woman to need a man's protection.

Which had never stopped him from offering it.

He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushed a kiss along the inside of her wrist.

"We'll see," he said.


End file.
